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The Lead Masks Case (O Caso das Máscaras de Chumbo) was the name given to the events which led to the death of two Brazilian electronic technicians: Manoel Pereira da Cruz and Miguel José Viana. Their bodies were discovered on August 20, 1966.

Discovery
On the afternoon of August 20, 1966, a young man was flying a kite on the Morro do Vintém (Vintém Hill) in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when he came upon the bodies of two deceased males and reported them to the authorities. The Morro do Vintém had difficult terrain, and the police were unable to reach the bodies until the next day. When a small team of police and firefighters arrived on scene, they noted the bodies' odd conditions: The two males were lying next to each other, slightly covered by grass. Each wore a formal suit, a lead eye mask, and a waterproof coat. There were no signs of trauma and no evidence of a struggle in the surrounding area. Next to the bodies, police found an empty bottle of water and a packet containing two wet towels. A small notebook was also identified, in which was written, "16:30 estar no local determinado. 18:30 ingerir cápsulas, após efeito proteger metais aguardar sinal máscara" The phrase has been translated to English as, "16:30 (04:30 PM) be at the agreed place. 18:30 (06:30 PM) swallow capsules, after effect, protect metals, wait for mask signal".

The two men were identified as Manoel Pereira de Cruz and Miguel Jose Viana, two electronic technicians from Campos dos Goytacazes, a town several miles to the northeast of Rio de Janeiro.

'''Another man who worked as an electrician was found on top of another hill that was close to the hill where the two men's bodies were found four years earlier. This man was also wearing a similar lead mask to the two men in 1966 .'''

Reconstruction
After an investigation, the detectives reconstructed a plausible narrative of the last days of both men.

On August 17, they left their city, Campos dos Goytacazes, the stated intent being that they needed to purchase some materials for work. The two men then boarded a bus to Niterói, and arrived at 14:30 (2:30 PM). '''Receipts were found on their bodies for the raincoats they wore, and a receipt for a bottle of water. The clerk who sold the men the bottle of water told police that the men appeared agitated and were concerned about the time, that it was getting dark, and starting to rain. The men hitched a ride up the hill with two unidentified men in a Jeep. '''

Conclusion of the case
No obvious injuries were discovered at the scene, nor later at the autopsy. A search for toxic substances was impossible, as the coroner's office was very busy at the time, so when the autopsy was finally conducted, the internal organs of the two victims were too badly decomposed for reliable testing.

The case was mentioned prominently (among other Brazilian cases) in Jacques Vallée's book Confrontations.

Possible Explanations
'Charles Bowen of the Flying Saucer Review'', theorised two possible explanations, one being a close encounter with ball lightning. Bowen's other theory was that the men's death was somehow related to an earlier incident on June 17 at Atafona beach, where an "intensely luminous object came down over the shore" followed by "a blinding flash and explosion which rocked the city of Campos". '''

Brian Dunning of the Skeptoid podcast, speculates that "it seems possible that Manoel and Miguel were part of a group interested in triggering spiritual experiences with psychedelic drugs, possibly on specific hilltops, and possibly expecting very bright lights along with the experience" .